Oh, Zack!

It's been awhile since I posted about Zack so after going through my cell phone pics, I knew it was time. Apparently, I take a lot of pictures of him with my phone! :)
Here is an update on our almost 2 year old boy...

1) Homeboy as taken. over. the. couch. Period. He thinks he owns it. He gets very confused when we make him get down. (which I will admit to almost having given up on at this point!)

2) He has taken a liking to tennis balls! We discovered this while we were visiting at Grandaddy & Grandma Tee's house. He had a tennis ball at home that he never played with. But all of the sudden, he is obsessed!

3) He also continues to eat every stick he can find. (Grass, too, unfortunately!)

4) I am happy to report that his relationship with Lola is progressing. FINALLY. After almost 2 years of being in this family- he doesn't automatically chase her when she comes in the door. (Now, if he is going out the door & spots her in the yard then all bets are off!) He even stands still long enough to let her rub against his legs from time to time! It is kinda cute - he looks really confused because he has no idea why she does this. He would get it if she licked him, but rubbing he doesn't understand! :) A few times, she has even stood her ground on the bed as if to say, "I was here first! Tonight is MY night!"

She still doesn't trust him though... as you can see above... she keeps her eyes on him at all times!

5) He has also taken over our bed. (Which is why the discord with Lola above). He thinks the bed is half his. If I even sit on the bed, he hops right up & lays down as if to say, "Ready to snooze?"

He also likes to throw his arm around me to snuggle! :) What can I say? He loves me!

6) Boy, oh, boy does he love the boys. No one can get him "riled up" faster! He is just like a kid, himself, so he thinks if they are somewhere- he is supposed to be also!
He even hangs with Jackson during thunderstorms until he falls asleep in the hallway! Since he wants to be where they are, he gets unnerved when they go outside & he is left indoors. He jolts back & forth from the downstairs dining room window up to the playroom window over the garage when they get out of his sight from downstairs. It is comical. There is usually whining involved too. He pure props his head up on the window sill & doesn't budge until he doesn't see them anymore & then moves to the next window! Such a protector!

7) He might be more well behaved than he used to be, but he still loves mischief. Yep, this picture is blurry because it is of me catching him in the act! He steals tissues, dryer sheets, & overall trash from the bathroom cans & then makes a bee-line for the underside of my bed where he can't fit well, but tries anyway in order to keep me from taking things out of his mouth. He is a mess!8) Because of this kind of behavior, we still crate him when we are gone and at night. Well, not ALL night because he snuggles with me until Randy comes to bed! But he isn't the greatest fan of the crate. He never whines or makes a lot of fuss, we just get a slow moving boy as soon as we say "let's kennel up!". He gives us a pitiful little look too!

He has really calmed down though & is a good companion. He wants to play but not nearly as much as he used to. I don't know if this is age or his enlarged heart. I am thinking the latter just based off of previous interactions with boxers. He lays around the house much more than not & just prefers to lounge. And let's be honest, I am okay with that!

Random 3

Here are 3 random shots of my "three boys"..... Yes, even the canine is included... He can be just as sweet as he can be crazy (which makes him more like the boys than not!)

jackson just being his sweet little self....
Eli counting for Hide N Go Seek....
Zack just being a lazy dog....

Loved Much??

Eli has really begun loving all over Zack lately. The poor dog has a lot to endure as you can see...

He may look miserable, but i can guarantee you that he is equally in love with Eli!

Sometimes you just need to lounge around together....

...and contemplate life a bit. Can't you tell it's rough? ha!

Friend or Foe?

These animals of ours could put us on the map for some circus act, I am certain. Do they hate each other? Or do they love each other? Or do they love to hate each other?

Zack continues to chase Lola every chance he gets. However- girlfriend has begun to get feisty & she ain't takin' no junk off him- regardless of the fact that he could really hurt her if he wanted to. He just doesn't know it because she is the one in charge. It is quite funny at times. I think he knows he is annoying her because he just jumps at her & gets just close enough to disturb her. She has begun throwing herself at him, paws out (never intending to actually hit him) and he jumps back right quick. Sometimes this works to get him to leave her alone. Other times, it just fuels the flame!

Recently, she has found a new perch where she knows Zack won't come near her... He knows better than to get on our bed without an invitation. But cats don't bother with formalities. They just roam wherever they please so she has taken to....

The top of our headboard! The other place she loves is underneath our bed where there is a little holed up area that she can get to that Zack can't because of the way the bed is built. It drives him nuts! He scoots underneath there & tries to lunge at her but that is hard to do when you have to be spread eagle just to fit underneath the bed! However, if you happen to be downstairs, it sounds like the roof is caving in. I fully expect to see a 70lb dog crashing through the ceiling at some point in my life. One evening, he actually jumped up on the bed (& took a chance at getting yelled at for doing so) because he wanted to play so bad. She was not amused in the slightest. You see she is looking right at me with the camera in my hand. She is thinking, "Get ahold of this beast!"

He would just inch his way closer to her under the rouse of "getting comfy", all the while keeping his eye on her.... and she was keeping her eye on him too!Please? Can't we just play?ummm, no!In fact, I am going to turn my back on you & you will leave me alone if you know what's good for ya!I tell ya, it's tough being so popular... such a tough life...It's okay, Zack... the rest of us love you!

He's a YEAR old!

If you can believe it- we stuck it out & Zack has survived living to his first birthday! His big day was Nov 10th & the boys (Eli especially) couldn't understand why we weren't giving him a party or a cake or something! I think our dinner scraps made him happy enough!

Here are some pictures of the birthday boy!
He loves to ride in the car these days, so carpool line is his favorite part of the day! Although, i think the reason he now loves to ride so much is because he has been going to "doggy daycare" one day a week. He gets to romp & play with other BIG dogs for 8 hours so he now WANTS to go in the car anytime we do, just in case we might be going to "Lucky Paws". And when he gets home from Lucky Paws, he will lay out on the floor & barely move the rest of the night. It is GLORIOUS. And he will tolerate just about anything....
Of course, he still gets thrown outdoors on the days that he is determined to get into any and all trouble around. And when he goes out, he does this instead of run his energy off...
He can be so funny! Who can resist that face staring you down in the window? And he has also discovered our mirror in our bedroom. It is funny to see himself catch a glimpse & stop & check himself out. Vain!His main goal in life is still to eat whatever paper products he can find out of the bathroom trash cans, eat every crumb that hits the floor (except popcorn- he's not a fan!), and chase this little lady (who is still unimpressed with the drooling giant that has inhabited our home!)He is such a cute boy though, especially when he is laid out....Here are several videos (I am not sure why we video the dog so much!?)

This is a nightly ritual when Randy gets home from work. He & Zack get to boxing almost immediately. And i think they both have a blast! In zack's mind- the rougher the play, the better! And this is certainly rough!

And we also have this game we play where Randy will hold the dog down while one of us does something we know the dog will go crazy over. Say "oops" (where he knows he gets dropped food), or say "what's that?" (where he will go bananas to see who is at the door or outside) or just have the kids ring the doorbell which you can imagine what happens there! Randy's goal is to prove that he can hold the dog down & not let him loose. Sometimes he can, but if he wants to stay uninjured, he lets go eventually! Here is an example:

After Randy's turn, i decided i was going to take a shot at "8 seconds" on the bull. Ha! I pretty much immediately let go- i don't want any injuries! lol! And he wasn't really even trying. He knows who to "tone it down" with- me & the kids!
Even though he has been such hard work, and requires so much attention. We love him soooo much. He brings a lot of laughs into this house!

Zack is 10 Months Old!

My dog is 10 months old. I seriously can't believe it has been that long already! I can't believe i have survived his puppyhood that long!
I am constantly having to remind myself that Zack is still a puppy. And for a Boxer, that means I will be saying that for YEARS. Some days it's a lot of fun and if i am honest, some days it is more work than it is worth. But i have to say, the love that he gives us is totally unconditional & he is the most devoted dog i have ever owned. He guards this house better than any alarm ever could! He even raises all kinds of cain when there is an unfamiliar car in a neighbors driveway (even 4 houses down!) So he definitely makes me feel safe & secure. He LOVES the kids (because he is one, no doubt!) and is perceptive enough to "tone down" his strength when playing with them. He stays right near me anytime i am cooking, just in case any crumbs might hit the floor & if you mention the word "oops" or "biscuit", you have his undivided attention! He is a big boy though & i am starting to worry over just how big he is going to be. He is already over 60lbs & is solid muscle. But he is such a pretty boy!He loves a rawhide!He is persistent too. He wants to be friends with Lola soooo bad. She has become extremely tolerant of him given the circumstances. When he sits still, she will actually come over & rub against him & meow. But when she is lounging & he wants to play, well... that's another story all together. This is a nightly ritual at our house when Randy & I get into bed (with both our computers- we are dorks, we know).... (& excuse the mound of laundry that I needed to fold....)

As it turns out...

So, as it turns out, we love him. Yes, i am talking about Zack, the dog. I have to be honest & say that it hasn't been easy. I personally, wanted to kill him about a gazillion times over the last 5 months. But i have held onto a little tidbit that my friend, Randi told me. She said, "If you can make it until he is 6 months old, it will be soooo much easier. Just keep telling yourself that." Well, at the time, i was thinking, "Six MONTHS?? I can barely think 6 days at this point with this dog." But she was right.... Zack just turned 6 months old & he has become our little, or rather, BIG teddy bear. He is becoming more & more obedient, and much more willing to please us. He is protective & thinks it's his duty to let us know ANY noise he hears in the house, by barking & investigating. He loves to snuggle ...and play frisbee...
And chase (and pop!) any ball in sight!
If you say, "oops" he comes running from ANYWHERE in the house to find a crumb at your feet. And he is just funny! He thinks everything is a game... especially when the kids are involved.So despite his tendencies to swallow socks whole & regurgitate them, and his digging habits in my planters, and his incessant chasing of Lola- We love him & we think he's a keeper!